HOLIDAY TASKS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 528, 8 June 1909, Page 8

HOLIDAY TASKS.

CREYTOWN TEACHERS' SCHOOL. (By Socrates.) To such members of tho teaching profession as now anil then oifer evidence- of their desiro to add to their professional equipment by sacrificing a portion of their vacation for the purpose of undergoing some special course of instruction, considerable credit is due. Under the direction o? , the Wellington Education Board, vacation schools of instruction in agricultural science and nature study have been in operation at Greytown for some time past. These have been well attended, and, in their general results, have very largely justified tho cost of establishment. The schools, which were designed to moot the necessities of the rural school teacher, are held in Uio School vry;alions, one in January, a second in May (during the May term week and . the week following), and a third in the September te\m week and the week following. There were two reasons for their inauguration. Originally, tho Education Board recognised that elementary teaching in agricultural science must bo regarded as part of tho syllabus of a rural school, and an instructor in tho ■science (Mr. Wm. .0. Davics) was appointed to conduct Saturday classes for teaohors at various centres. In practice, this system bad its defects, mainly in tiat tho time available did not allow of a . finished course of instruction, so, largely in the nature of an experiment, the idea of holding a holiday school at the headquarters of the instructor, at Greytown, where an agricultural laboratory was established, was put into operation, and the success of tho first school determined t)io board to continue. With) two clear weeks, it is now possible to carry out a very complete course of instruction, which instruction in turn is passed" on by the teachers to their pupils—the coming farmers of the community.At the Winter School. Yesterday the writer visited the winter school at Greytown, where during the current

fortnight some twenty-two teachers, mostly from rural schools in outlying districts, have boea undergoing a preliminary course of instruction. Tho school is surprisingly up-te-dato in its eqnipment. , In 'the main room, or lecture hall, Hie instructor (Mr. Da vies) was discoursing on seeds to an interested class of teachers, who iad before them samples of tho seeds under review, and, with their magnifiers; ■ veriQed for ■ themselves whatever was stated by the lecturer, recording then observations in notes and sketches.

A Leoture. ■ , In the. afternoon, Mr. J. S. Tennaiit, M.A., one" of the ,board's inspectors, deliv-1 ered an interesting lecture- on "Our Alpine Flora," illustrated by numerous lantern views, displayed-by Mr. Davies, and traced the connection, between the plant life of the Alpine heights of New Zealand, and the vegetation which clothed the low lands of the sub-Antarctic regions. . . At tho conclusion of the lecturo, Mr. Robert' Leo, ' Chairman of tho Education ?r Oa . rd,l T?' b ,?' with Messrs. T. R. Fleming, M.A., LL.8.,. and F-. H. Uakowell, M.A.,'inspactors, also visited the school, in express ing his thanks'to the lecturer, addressed soino encouraging remarks, to tho teachers tie congratulated Mr. Davies on the organisation of the. school, and expressed himself as being especially pleased with the artistic arrangement.of the equipment and grounds of the building. His impressions had reminded him of his conviction that the love of art and things artistic was not sufficiently stimulated in the schools.. He him self had'■been brought up.in an atmospiicro ot art and his tastes wore influenced by his upbringing. Ho could not seo why their school buildings should not bo more artistically designed and situated; why more care wns-not shown in attempting to achieve artistio effects m the painting of tho interiors; why, in fact,,tho child should not be taught in artistic surroundings, that his finer tastes might be by the niero associatmr. € ven, with things' artistic With the termination of the lecturo tho .day's .-work, so far as the ■ class ' was 'con corned, came to an.end. Some Reflections. In visiting the school, the, writer wn<, the broad uses of the - tlVi" E science is, must be a part of ruS educa tion and that those who m £~"£: that instruction must themselves bo ffit something more than is to be:fou d n tie ! pages oi text-books: A "book-teacher" can never be more than cither a perfunctory W turer or a persevering "crammer." In tho vacation schools at Greytown practical Le ° igatmn in-the laboratory is coordinated tho exposition of principles. It must bo noted Wever/that the attendance at these scboos ,s small when tho number of rural schools is taken into account, and this indicates that if pupils m rural schools arc to bo taught tho elements ,of agricultural science some more comprehensive.scheme for preparing their teachers for this spocini branch.of tlioir art would seem to be necessary. _ If things wore idoal tho Normal araimng College curriculum should bo sufiiciently extended to cover tho subject 'under rev.ow. Butthe Training.College, is suffering trom lack of accommodation, and any extensive additions to its present scope, 'moreover, might conceivably overburden it, unless, perhaps, provision could.be made for tho establishment of an annexe to the college to bo used as an agricultural laboratory, 'and conducted by the board's agricultural instructor as a branch of liis own department at Greytown. Tho periods between the vacation schools at his headquarters offer a reasonably good opportunity of carrying such a scheme tuto practioa.